NWC2015: a month on…

It is nearly a month since Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015 drew to a close – an event that captured the hearts and minds of Netball and sport enthusiasts around the globe. Sky Sport NZ commentator, Jenny Woods gives her final thoughts on NWC2015, including regeneration and the unexpected star of the show…

One thing noticeable in many teams in Sydney was regeneration; a number of countries bringing through youngsters at the expense of older players.  

One exception to this was England. New coach Tracey Neville went the other way, recalling players who’d performed in the past like Sonia Mkoloma and Tamsin Greenway.  There were four former captains in the team led by Geva Mentor.

For me, it didn’t work. It must be said, however, that Neville was courageous under the incredibly emotional situation of her father’s death as the World Cup opened. 

A star of that side was Serena Guthrie. She picked up an incredible amount of ball wherever she played, and turned the game against Jamaica on the final day.

An unexpected star of NWC2015 was none other than Norma Plummer. Free of the burden of coaching Australia, Plummer has morphed into a far more relaxed character and was clearly thoroughly enjoying herself. 

Not only did she guide her side to fifth spot above Malawi, but she stole the show in the team’s ‘Shake It Off’ lip sync battle. While the Silver Ferns were clearly the most inventive, Plummer’s shimmy and shake brought the house down with the 70-year-old delighting in the fact she’d gone viral!

 

Another star of the World Cup was – the crowd. If you were there, take a bow!

World record attendance figures of close to 17-thousand and for the Gold Medal Match it certainly sounded that at least half of those were cheering for New Zealand. Women know how to celebrate their sport and I saw many reunions between friends from all over the world.  

On a more serious note, the one recurring topic around the event is umpiring.  It’s the topic of many discussions before during and after so many international events.  These conversations are not solely about the strengths and weaknesses of various umpires, but more about why it is that the world’s best umpires cannot umpire the world’s best Netball games.

In my opinion, this is a problem that needs to be sorted out.

One suggestion is the formation of a body of ‘international’ umpires.  They can be from around the globe but must reach a certain standard before obtaining the title ‘international’.  Once in that group, it doesn’t matter where they hail from. This option sounds better to me than thrusting umpires from countries with nowhere near the same level of competition, into a World Cup pot boiler.

Netball’s greatest rivalry – Silver Ferns v Australian Diamonds - will return to New Zealand shores in October, just two months after they battled for gold at Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015.

Tickets to the New World Netball Series for the Constellation Cup are on sale NOW – GET TICKETS

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